Pumpkin Carving Tips

I thought this was worth a repost:

Once cut, a pumpkin lasts about four to five days, then starts to rot.
You can rub Vaseline on the cut parts to help with deterioration.

And a tip I read from Real Simple:

Think about cutting out the bottom of the pumpkin instead of around the stem - place your candle on the porch or walkway then place the pumpkin on top. This will prevent the cut out stem section from falling in when rotted.

Pumpkins are a great way to show some creativity - will you make a scary face, write your initials, a jack o lanturn or maybe turn it on its side and make a candy container?

What will you do?

Wedding Trends!

I was recently quoted in the Oct/Nov issue of Giftware News!

"Overall, the trend is to be eclectic and make your wedding paper goods your own, says Meredith S Tomasulo, founder of Elegant Engagements. "Monograms are still in, but couples are also adding slogan, poem verse or quotation to elements of their wedding," she says. "This can be seen on the invitation, program, favor containers and cocktail napkins. I have seen Dave Matthews song lyrics on cake boxes ('Life is short but sweet for certain') and Shakespeare verses on invitations ('Journeys end in lovers meeting'). I also have some clients that are putting 'Did you know...' information on cocktail napkins - they're great conversation starters and really get the guests to know about both the bride and groom."

A NY Wedding

I went to my husband's cousin's wedding on Saturday in NY. Although it was a great time they did things a little differently so I thought I would share what it was like. Ceremony and reception were all at the Hilton Hotel.
We checked in and received a great box of goodies; animal crackers and water bottles were some of the items inside.
The invitation said 6:30 so we walked down to meet family. From 6:30 -7 we all met in the hotel lobby for champagne, We were all standing around not sure what to do. Then they moved all 300 of us into a ballroom for the ceremony at 7. The grooms family and groomsmen stood on the left side and brides on the right, I haven't seen this before. Even the bride was confused, when she walked down the aisle she stepped right to the left side and her MOH had to move her!
Cocktails which included so much food we could have considered this dinner were from 7:30-8:45. There was a raw bar, Asian station, lamb chop and turkey carver, pasta bar with calamari, mini hotdogs and hamburgers with french fries! I had to keep reminding myself there was dinner later.
Then we went into the ballroom, beautifully decorated with brown pin tuck linens, tall centerpieces with hydrangeas and lillies and lots of candles and uplighting.
The staff was just wonderful, took our order (Seabass, filet or stuffed chicken) and brought salads out around 9:45. There was a lot of dancing then eating then dancing and we didn't get served our entree until 11pm!!! The DJ rocked until 1am!
Now this DJ was different then any other DJ I have seen as well - part of the set up included a drummer who played along with the songs!

So are you seeing a lot of late night weddings? Is the trend to switch brides and grooms sides for the ceremony? Do you like the idea of a drummer with the DJ?

How much Liquor?

Wedding Wine and Liquor Calculator - Great tool for figuring out how much wine or beer and alcohol to have at your next party. Use it for your next holiday party, backyard bash or if you can bring your own alcohol to your wedding.

Find out how much alcohol you should stock for your party. Click here Real Simple

It's an Airplane!

For my son's first birthday I decided to do an airplane themed party. Invitations were boarding passes for GJT Airlines.
I made tons of mini airplanes out of fun foam, they hung from the light fixtures and ceiling fan. Even on his own cake.
The adults devoured pumpkin or chocolate cupcakes with airplane / 1 toppers. I had airplane sugar cookies and along with a platter of Philly pretzel bites, a custom G pretzel.

I made a 'wall of Gavin' which included pictures from every month of his first year. I also made a Happy Birthday Gavin sign using scrapbook paper and grosgrain ribbon. Inspiration from Etsy.

When guests arrived they had to check in to get airplane stickers and when they left they picked up their favors at baggage claim. Favors were bubbles with labels that said 'Thank you for flying GJT Airlines' and personalized luggage tags.

I think I love planning kids birthday parties as much as weddings!!

1 Years Young

My son turns ONE Today! What an amazing year its been - everyone says time flies by but wow it sure does!

Thank you to Caitlin Domanico Photography for taking the pictures - to see more check out her blog here!

Candy Apples 101

Everything you've always wanted to know about candy apples―including how to make them.

from Real Simple

To toss or Not to Toss

What are you planning to do with your bouquet (or a smaller version)?

Will you stick with tradition and toss your bouquet to a group of your single ladies?
or
Will you have an anniversary dance and see who the last couple dancing(longest married) is?
or
Will you present your bouquet to someone special?
or
What else are you thinking?

Please post your ideas or what you are seeing this year?

Can't afford a full service planner?

I got an email the other day from a couple that said they didn't really need a full service planner and they didn't think they could afford it but were wondering what options I had to offer them.

Glad you asked!

Wedding planners can offer suggestions for reputable wedding professionals; people or businesses that fit your style and budget and they even know some of the out of ordinary locations. A planner can work on your budget, create a timeline and suggest ways to get you started. 3-4 hours of planning in the beginning can get you on the right track and save you valuable time and potentially money.

Say you already have your dream venue in mind and you are certain you can decide on the other aspects of your wedding but you aren't sure how to pull the event together. IE: the guest list seating, the day of timeline and last minute logistics- consider a day of planner!



"Good fortune is what happens when opportunity meets with planning." - Edison

Bye Bye Wedding Magazines

Released today: Gourmet, Elegant Bride, Modern Bride, and Cookie to close its doors!
This is due to an advertising slump.

As Modern Bride and Elegant Bride close, a third Conde Nast magazine, Brides, will increase its frequency to monthly instead of coming out every two months.

So if you subscribe to these magazines I am not sure you will see a difference- you will just get Brides every month!

Spiced

When I think of October I of course think pumpkins, halloween, turning leaves and my sons birthday but I also think of everything with 'spice'.
So I searched Spiced Cocktails!
Check these out:
Since iced tea vodka is so popular right now and I have some Appleton's Rum in my cabinet I love this!


Appleton Spiced Iced Tea

• 2 oz. Rum, Jamaican (Appleton Estates)
• 1 can (Lipton Brisk®) Iced Tea
• 1 pinch (optional) Cinnamon
• 1 pinch (optional) Nutmeg
  

  Fill glass with ice, pour 2 oz. Appleton Estates Jamaican Rum into a large glass or mug. Add Spices then add Lipton Brisk Ice Tea.

Perfect for after pumpkin picking:

Captain's Spiced Cider Drink

• 2 oz. Rum, spiced (Captain Morgan's)
• Fill with Cider, apple

Pour over ice

and lastly Spiced Pomegranate Sipper from a previous post.